Caro-Kann Defense: Panov Attack, Main Line
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Statistics from Lichess
470,248 games: White 50.3% / Draw 5.9% / Black 43.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 85,53086K | ||
| 74,27074K | ||
| 62,84963K | ||
| 61,06861K | ||
| 58,32958K | ||
| 29,46529K | ||
| 24,38924K | ||
| 19,93320K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 31, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.13 The position is about equal
Best play: 7. cxd5 exd5 8. Bd3 O-O 9. O-O h6 10. Ne5 Nc6 11. Bc2 Be6
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
The stronger the players, the better this line does for Black: Black scores 47% under 1400, 50% at 2200 and up and 49% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 39K | |
| 1400–1799 | 197K | |
| 1800–2199 | 273K | |
| 2200 and up | 73K | |
| Masters, over the board | 3,658 |
Master games
- Carlsen, M. – Dominguez Perez, L.
- Giri, A. – Grischuk, A.
- Radjabov, T. – Morozevich, A.
- Kamsky, G. – Karpov, A.
- Kamsky, G. – Karpov, A.
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 27, 2026
Overview
Caro-Kann Defense: Panov Attack, Main Line (ECO B14, Semi-Open Games) is a variation of the Caro-Kann Defense: Panov Attack, reached after 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nf3 Bb4 (6 moves).
In 470,248 rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, White won 50.3%, Black 43.8% and 5.9% were drawn. White's most played move here is 7. cxd5, in 18% of those games.
Written from the Lichess opening list and explorer. Know this line well? Write about it.
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How to play against the Caro-Kann Defense: Panov Attack, Main Line
7. Bd3 scores best for White: 55.7%, with White winning 52.9% and Black 41.4% of 74K games. The most played, 7. cxd5, scores 55.4% in 86K games, and 7. Qa4+ scores lowest: 48.3%. Stockfish's first choice is 7. cxd5.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Popularity by year
The Caro-Kann Defense: Panov Attack, Main Line peaked in 2017 at 0.021% of Lichess games and has slipped since: 0.017% in 2025.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.019% | 6,683 |
| 2017 | 0.021% | 11,736 |
| 2018 | 0.021% | 16,692 |
| 2019 | 0.02% | 25,166 |
| 2020 | 0.019% | 55,074 |
| 2021 | 0.018% | 69,803 |
| 2022 | 0.018% | 68,659 |
| 2023 | 0.018% | 68,976 |
| 2024 | 0.018% | 63,573 |
| 2025 | 0.017% | 58,454 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.016% | 17,852 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Caro-Kann Defense: Panov Attack, Main Line (B14)”. Lichess data as of 31 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/caro-kann-defense-panov-attack-main-line